1/19/2015 8:31:53 PMMaryland played one of their most complete games of the year on Saturday. The Terps whipped a motivated Michigan State squad.

It's becoming clearer that the Terps are at their best when Melo Trimble and Jake Layman are the top scoring options. Dez Wells has been the #1 option for the last two years but the offense just doesn't perform as well with him as the lead dog. Dez is realizing that and it shows in the team's overall performance. I give Dez a lot credit for his willingness to put the team over his own goals. Don't get me wrong. I believe that Dez is key to our success this year, he's just not the focal point of the offense anymore.

Much is being made about Maryland's free throw shooting this year. The Terps aren't only shooting a much better percentage than in year's past, the amount of free throws they are taking is at historically high levels. Part of this can be explained by the fact that Melo is just incredibly adept at drawing fouls. Another aspect is the officials have made hand-checking a point of focus this year and that plays right into Trimble's strengths. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I think Maryland is getting to the line because they are often in the lead late in games and have been able to ice the game at the stripe. Most good teams shoot more free throws than their opponents.

Indiana has squeaked into the top 25 this week after an impressive road win at Illinois. The Terps know first hand that it's not easy to win in Champaign. The Hoosiers have been good at home. They beat Ohio State a few weeks ago. Maryland represents a top 20 RPI win that will be a resume builder for the Hoosiers. We'll get their best shot.

Indiana looks a lot like Maryland. They shoot the ball well from three and are led by freshman guards. The Terps are a better version in my opinion but road games are really hard so I'm not getting my hopes up. 17-2 is beyond anyone's wildest expectations so a win in Bloomington is just gravy.